Johnson: 'I told you so'

In the second-highest scoring game in the history of Monday Night Football, Kansas City defeated Tennessee 49-38. The outcome came down to the wire, despite having almost no playoff implications. Both teams played this game as though their futures depended on it.

On this night the losing team was more impressive than the winning team. Titans backup quarterback Billy Volek looked like a starter as he threw for a career-high 426 yards and four touchdowns. After Pro Bowl WR Derrick Mason sprained his left ankle, Drew Bennett came up big with 12 catches for 233 yards and three touchdowns. The Berkeley-born Bennett was completely exhausted after turning in the NFL's best performance by a wide receiver this season.

But the Chiefs came through when necessary. Second-year running back Larry Johnson had his second big game in a row, running for 104 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries.

Before the game, Chiefs President Carl Peterson told me, "Hey, we do like Larry Johnson. And I think people probably know that after his 118 yards last week."

Immediately after the game, Peterson found me on the field again just before I interviewed Johnson. The Chiefs' prez said to me, "See? I told you he was for real."